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Monday, March 28, 2011

A Note From Joey and Maggie: Please Stand By

Dear Gentle Readers,

We just wanted to let you know that like your 'Long and Short of it All' host 'Joey,' updates will be a bit spotty this week. We're hoping that we may be able to squeeze in just a few as the week progresses, but we're unsure at this point. We should be back to speed next week.

Everything is OK on the home front - Joey is doing amazingly well as we continue to treat him for Addison's Disease after his surgery last fall for adrenal-dependent Cushing's Disease and spleenectomy. He got his monthly DOCP shot yesterday (OUCH!) and continues to get oral prednisone and ursodiol every day. He's a happy boy.

We wish that we had such good news to report for 'Maggie.' We're still having trouble getting her meds stablized for her pituitary-dependent Cushing's Disease. We took her in for levels a few weeks ago, and her cortisol level is 5-10 times where it should be. So, we doubled her dose of trilostane, and will do follow-up levels this coming Saturday. To top things off, she has developed a nasty tumor on her anus. It was aspirated, and is "most likely" benign, so we are thankful for that. She will have to have surgery to have it removed soon, but we've got to get her Cushing's under control before such a procedure. We'll know more after Saturday's visit to the vet. She spends a lot of time sleeping and trying to get comfortable because her big belly from her Cushing's really gets in the way. We can't tell if she's a happy girl because she doesn't wag her tail anymore - she's embarrassed about her tumor and keeps her tail tucked in at all times. Hoping Saturday's vet visit goes well and we can schedule to get her tumor removed. We miss her wagging tail.

29 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Hi Joey and Maggie, we are sending good healing vibes your way Maggie, and crossing our paws for a speedy recovery. You can do it girl Get well soon, your 4 cyberspace friends from Quebec Canada XXX and woofs, LollyPop, Sass, Shilo and Miss Maggie

My Louie's cortisol numbers were through the roof, but it was determined that a bunch of begign anal tumors were the cause of the elevated numbers. Please make sure your vet understands there is a corralation between anal tumors and cortisol levels. A shot of female hormones shrunk the tumors in less than 2 weeks (Louis is 13 and we really did not want to have to surgery on them)... It was truly a miracle as the tumors were so big they were close to obstructing his ability to go to the bathroom and the vet said he would become incontinent if something wasn't done to them soon... A month later, they are completely gone! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at trc171@aol.com. Hope Maggie feels better!!!

Maggie, Joey and Carson, Just wanted to let you know - we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers, and praying that all will soon be well. As Gilda Radner used to say "It's always something!!" With love, Jayne and Annie

Hi Joey and Maggie, we'll be keeping Maggie in prayer that the effort to get the cortisol levels stabilized will happen soon. Then, surgery for the tumor removal so she can be back to her tail wagging self.

Dear Joey and Maggie...so sorry to hear about your medical and medicine problems. I hope you both will have everything straightened out soon and that Maggie will be back to wagging her tail. What a lovely Mom and Dad you have to take such good of you both. Sending you a warm and loving WOOF, Baron

Much love to our dear Maggie. I so enjoyed looking into that face last week (while she was really waiting for her dad's lap to free up!) Such a sweetheart, we need to get that tail wagging again. Love to Joey and Carson too! Melinda and Jeeves

Thanks for all the love and support - Maggie is actually sicker than thought, she would not eat breakfast this morning after we posted, so it was off to the vet's in case she was having an Addisonian's crisis from too much medication. She vomited once we got there as well. @ Tracy and Louie - thanks for the tip on the anal tumors and cortisol levels. Will bring up to the vet tonight when Maggie will hopefully come home.

Sending all our love and good wishes for Maggie's health and happiness from Tel Aviv! I hope the vet will be able to tell you more tonight, and that whatever (s)he has to say will put your mind at ease.

Please get a Biopsy on the tumor, one of ours had a anal tumor and it was cancerous ( his type had a 75% survival rate )and he was gone from us in 8 months. Have them be AGGRESSIVE with removing the tumor so the margin around it is wide. Ours wasnt and it came back and took him from us as well as not getting a 2nd opinion, our mistake. Better safe than heart broken,

Thanks again for all the well-wishes and prayers. We did do an aspiration on the tumor, and it is "most likely" benign. This was sent out to a lab, and not done in the doctors office.Today just gets worse - after taking Maggie in to the vets this morning for what most likely would have been an overdose of trilostane for her Cushing's, it turns out that she has pancreatitis. Her lipase was over 6,000. So, she will be at the hospital for 3 days on IV's, hopefully she will get better and won't have to need more intense care with TPN, etc after 3 days.

Our Minnie (who also has Cushings and is on trilostane) went through a bad bout of pancreatitis last fall. After a week she pulled out of it and now is on a HillsWD-only diet. She recovered amazingly well and her trilostane dose is back down to where it was before. We're all praying for Maggie to pull out of this setback as soon as possible.

Please know that we are all pulling for you and we know you are doing all you can for your Maggie. You have really had a tough go of it lately and your strength and love is to be admired. Hang in there and trust the process and remember to breathe and take care of yourself.

My mom - may she rest in peace - worked as a distributor for Hill's dog foods for over 20 years at Sharpe and Vejar in L.A. I always smile when I hear of a pupper getting Hill's Prescription Diet foods. We're sending Maggie healing thoughts from The Herd in Baltimore!

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